


Wrong for you

by sharkinterviewee



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: (actually) Falling in Love Slowly, (supposedly) Love at First Sight, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates, Trope Subversion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-06 17:36:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15890808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkinterviewee/pseuds/sharkinterviewee
Summary: How big of a screw up do you have to be to screw up destiny? It was freaking fate. Everyone had a soulmate, with a timer counting down to the moment you first meet. It’s how the world worked. It’s how it’s always worked. It’s never not worked before. So how had Jake Peralta fallen in love with someone who had a different timer than him? How did he screw up fatethisbadly?





	1. Chapter 1

Jake Peralta had a problem. A really big problem. That he couldn’t find a solution to, cause as far as he knew no one on earth has ever had this problem before. Jake Peralta was the only one this messed up.

How big of a screw up do you have to be to screw up destiny? All that predetermined shit- it’s freaking fate. It’s how the world works, how it’s always worked. Every person had a soulmate, with the same time counting down to the exact moment they meet for the very first time. It’s how the world goes round.

It’s destiny.

Everyone has _the_ match. The perfect one. The perfect love, made for each other. It was fate. It had to happen.

So how the hell did he screw up destiny? How did he manage to screw up fate _this_ bad? This never happened to anyone else. Jake tried to find out what to do, and he actually went to libraries and read _books._ He did research and spent hours in the nonfiction section reading every book on the soulmate subject. No answers.

This had never happened to anyone before.

Nothing even mentioned the hypothetical situation of this happening to any human being because it was literally impossible.

Even with all the biologists and psychologists doing studies, and neuroscientists trying to figure out the answer and explanation to why this all worked, they were trying to find out _how_ it worked.

No one ever considered the possibility of it not working. It always worked. There wasn’t anyone out there who did what he did. Felt like he did.

How much of a failure did you have to be to screw up destiny? How did he screw up this bad?

How did he fall in love with someone who had a different timer?

How could he fall in love with someone _else’s_ soulmate. How could he fall in love with that person’s perfect match.

He had a timer of his own. A countdown of his own.

He was supposed to be someone else’s soulmate. It wasn’t just the fact that the girl he was in love with was destined for someone else. He was destined for someone else.

That stranger’s perfect match was supposed to be Jake Peralta- both their timers were counting down to when they would meet.

That person was supposed to have him as a soulmate, that was how the world worked.

It wasn’t just Jake falling in love with someone else and being miserable himself. He was screwing up destiny for that person who had been waiting their whole life to meet their perfect match, their only match, only to find out it was him.

Not only does your soulmate countdown to the right time, you’re also supposed to feel love at first sight. If you get a look at them years before you actually meet each other for the first time and your respective clocks hit zero, you still get that jolt when your eye crosses them, even if it’s just a glance over a crowd and you can’t tell who it is. You get that jolt.

Safe to say he hasn’t felt that jolt.

* * *

Amy Santiago’s countdown was longer than his. By two and a half years. Luckily they weren’t one of those people whose countdown ended with them being 45 years old. But that was just about the only lucky part about it.

* * *

Senior year.

His countdown had two months left as of now.

When he’d been in love with Amy for three years by now. His chest freaking ached when he thought too hard about it. They’d been best friends for ages. Since they were kids. He wasn’t sure exactly when he fell in love with her. He definitely would’ve gagged if anyone brought up the idea of kissing Amy back in middle school because ‘ew! Gross! She’s my friend! You don’t kiss friends!’

It was slow. This falling in love thing. Nothing like the love at first sight that everyone was supposed to experience. It wasn’t supposed to be this drawn out process that filled you to the core. Until you’re filled with this undeniable feeling that’s overwhelming and overflowing and all consuming. All he knew was that he’d _finished_ falling in love with Amy years ago. He’s been completely head over heels in love with Amy Santiago for years.

As his timer dwindles down, Amy keeps asking him if he’s excited.

He always lies and says yes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is one problem that I always get hung up on when reading soulmate AUs:  
> Do abusers not exist in this universe? Does whatever is in control of assigning soulmates take abusive tendencies into account when pairing partners together? Do they just try and pair all the bad people up? Do abusers just not have soulmates at all?  
> I know it’s fantasy and suspension of disbelief, but I need to know what I’m supposed to be believing first! Just tell me abusers don’t exist in this universe and you’ve got my suspension of disbelief covered.  
> Maybe it’s the Asperger’s, but I always get so hung up on that detail when it comes to soulmate AUs.
> 
> Anyways, here's the Peraltiago AU where they're not matched up with each other and still end up together anyways (plus teenagers!) I can't stop mixing my AUs.  
> Hopefully this is something you never knew you wanted, and not just plain ol' didn't want
> 
> Don't worry, this _won't_ be a slow burn fic, because I have no tolerance for sustained angst. I just want them to be kissing already.


	2. Chapter 2

The day of.

Only hours to go.

He woke up that Saturday morning and he just wanted to lay in bed all day, go to sleep that night, and wake up Sunday morning. But fate had other plans.

Fate was always right. He would always end up getting up today, because if he didn't, fate would have had a different time on his arm since the day he was born. Or maybe if he didn't get up something would catch on fire in the house and his soulmate would be the firefighter who saved him from a burning building

There wasn't any use fighting it.

He knew whatever he decided to do, he would always end up meeting her at the exact time it said. Fate was never wrong.

* * *

Saturday the 17th Amy knocked on his door bright and early at 9 AM. She knew what today was- she was the one who helped him so the math to figure out the exact day, time, and year his countdown ended back when they were kids. She’d known for years that Jake was going to meet his soulmate today for the very first time at 2:12 PM.

She texted to make sure he was up first since Jake usually slept in til noon, but he couldn't sleep at all the night before, so he was actually awake at the same time as his early riser best friend for pretty much the first time ever.

“As your best friend it's my responsibility to make sure you at least look presentable when you meet her for the first time today,” Amy had dutifully informed him and walked right in after he opened the front door for her.

Jake rolled his eyes, but he still let her pick out the color of his shirt and pat down his bed head with only minimal whining and the occasional over dramatic sigh.

Amy admitted she tried to make him a cake last night, but it ended up kinda… charcoal-y. The look on her face when she admitted that and the gesture that she even tried made his heart clench.

* * *

Jake fought the urge to pull out his phone and check the time again. Or check his arm. It was a calculated decision to wear a long sleeve shirt that day, specifically to cover up his timer, cause he knew if he didn’t he’d be watching the seconds dwindle down the whole day. He’d known for years that he was going to meet his soulmate this very Saturday at 2:12 PM. He knew by the time it got down to five minutes he’d start thinking too much about where he was going when it didn’t even matter, cause wherever he went, she’d end up there. Or wherever she went, he’d end up there.

He didn’t want to think too hard about whether to turn left or right when it definitely wouldn’t matter in the end.

At 1 PM he decided to stop checking the time so he could just go where he wanted to go and walk where he wanted to walk. Just the sort of aimless wandering down the city street that actually might have been nice if he wasn’t filled with a growing sense of dread, his fingers itching at his side with the restraint it took to not yank his shirt sleeve up and just check one last time.

If he knew what time it was, he might have thought about waiting outside for his soulmate to walk on by, or had worked himself up into a near panic outside the door before finally entering.

If he knew what time it was, he might have thought twice about going into the smoothie shop to get a drink.

Instead, Jake stepped inside at 2:10 PM, blissfully unaware of the exact time.

He was standing in line when he realized.

There was a girl behind the counter, anxiously checking her wrist between looking out at all the customers, biting her lip and shifting on her feet, and he knew it was her. She looked to be about his age, her long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and strung through her blue ball cap, and while she did seem nervous, it was clearly more excited than worried. It didn’t look like she had the choice of wearing long sleeves and trying to take her mind off of it or distracting herself- the short sleeved red shirt and blue apron over it looked to be some sort of uniform.

And, looking at her, he didn’t feel love at first sight. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

He didn’t check his arm for a good 30 seconds after laying eyes on her. He just froze. Couldn’t move to even confirm the dread.

It wasn’t until another hurrying customer bumped into him and knocked him out of his state that Jake finally found the will to pull up his sleeve and  _ look. _

His wrist had 45 seconds left until 0. Until D day. It was her.

The girl leaned over the counter, trying to peer outside the doors because she thought her soulmate might be walking through them any second now. When her soulmate had been standing at the back of the line knowing it was her for what felt like a lifetime.

She didn’t even see him out of periphery when he stepped out of the line, too consumed with craning her neck to see out the glass double doors.

Jake approached the counter, mentally steeling himself. For meeting her. 

He took a deep breath.

“Hey, I think you’re looking for me.”

* * *

In case you couldn’t guess, Jake’s soulmate worked at the smoothie place. If you already did guess that, no points for guessing correctly. That was an easy one.

“I asked my boss for the day off, but no one could cover me, and she said that If I worked today that meant that you would end up walking in here to meet me. I knew she was right, but still.” She gave him a bright smile, looking truly happy.

* * *

Her name was Hannah. She seemed really nice.

* * *

After making introductions, they sat down at one of the little circular tables to talk and exchange numbers.

Even when you met your soulmate, and you knew it was them, and loved them at first sight, it still took time to get to know them. That’s what everyone said.

* * *

When Jake got home that evening, his mom asked him how it went, and what she was like.

“Fine. It was fine. She was fine.”

* * *

Jake went straight to bed and slept for the next 12 hours.

Amy texted him Saturday night and sent him texts all day Sunday, to ask him how it went.

He didn’t respond.

* * *

He skipped school on Monday. His mom didn’t fight him on this.

Of course Amy hadn’t stopped texting him, trying to check on him, even though he went radio silent. She tried calling him several times Monday evening. He didn’t answer.


End file.
